New Jersey Devils Are Starting to Regain Their Offensive Production
It’s safe to say that December was a rough month for the New Jersey Devils. After having a dominant showing during November, they seemed to struggle come the final month of 2022. After a few weeks of playing subpar hockey, the Devils seemed to have regained their rhythm. The Devils have been improving even if their December record doesn’t reflect it. When looking at one of their matchups against the Boston Bruins, the Devils were able to put up a valiant effort against one of the best teams in the entire NHL.
They competed hard, but unfortunately, any minuscule mistake they committed proved too costly against a powerhouse team like the Boston Bruins. However, the Devils have been finding ways to score more goals as of late. That was one of the reasons why they won 13 games in a row earlier this year. Because they were capable of scoring more goals than the average team. The Devils currently rank number 10 in the entire NHL for most goals with 129. In their more recent game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Devils were able to net five goals and once again found scoring production throughout their lineup.
Before traveling to Detroit, the Devils had another great offensive showing against the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s worth mentioning that the Hurricanes were on a 10-game win streak entering going into that matchup. So, the fact that the Devils were able to score four goals and put up a valiant effort against one the hottest teams in NHL speaks volumes about their general improvement, despite losing in a shootout. I had the chance to speak with Jesper Bratt after the Hurricanes game and asked about his team’s effort as of late. Specifically the scoring surge from himself, Jack Hughes, and Nico Hischier.
“We’ve definitely done some good stuff,” Bratt said. “Obviously, it’s always good to get guys [Jack Hughes & Nico Hischier] like that on board for confidence moving forward…We just got to focus on moving on to the next game.”
Listen to the full discussion on one of the latest episodes of Locked On Devils below.
It seems as though the Devils are not yet satisfied with their overall production. But these last couple of games, fans are starting to become more appreciative of the effort put up by the Devils. Because Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier have all led the way for the Devils to once again recapture some of their early season success from the offensive end. Since Ondrej Palat is set to return sometime soon, his offensive production can certainly be utilized to create more depth.